Think before you post

Bulletin Board

ID the creep game

Can you hack it??

Print these activity sheets so students can learn that computers and electronic files are property and explore the reasons for, consequences, and ethics of teen hacking.

Lesson 1

• Distribute Activity Sheet 1.
• Have students read and complete the page individually or in small groups. NOTE: Postpone discussion until students have read and completed Activity Sheet 2.

Lesson 2

• Distribute Activity Sheet 2 and have students read and discuss all except the activity.
• Then have students revisit Activity Sheet 1 and make changes or additions.

Lesson 3

• Conduct the activity on Activity Sheet 2.
• Explain that "peer court" is a way of keeping first-time juvenile offenders out of the juvenile justice system. It focuses less on the law and how teens broke it and more on the rights and wrongs of a person's actions. (Make sure students understand that teens who take this alternative route must first acknowledge that they broke the law.) Peer court roles are taken by volunteer high school students, except for that of the judge, who is a real judge. Members of the jury are permitted to question the defendants and others. Sentences cannot include jail time or fines, but may include writing assignments (such as letters of apology or research), restitution, attendance at workshops or counseling sessions, home restrictions, and community service.
• Make sure each student has a role in the mock peer court and then conduct the role play. Remind students to focus on the ethical decisions made by the defendants.

Considering Copying??

Print enough of these 3 activity sheets so students can consider possible ways to copy others' works using the Internet and learn that many forms of copying are illegal or unethical.

Lesson 1

• Have one student cut apart Activity Sheet 1 and place the slips of paper in the paper bag.
• Group students in pairs. Allow each pair to draw a slip of paper from the bag and discuss the situation described.
• Invite one pair of students at a time to role play the situation described. One student plays the person described and the other plays the creator of the work being copied. NOTE: Postpone discussion until students have read and applied the information on Activity Sheet 2 and 3.

Lesson 2

• Distribute Activity Sheet 2 and 3.
• Tell students that many Web sites have copyright notices explaining who owns the material and (sometimes) how it can be used.
• Explain that some artistic works are in the public domain. Public domain works include government documents and works whose copyright has run out. Such works are available for use by anyone.

Lesson 3
Have students revisit the situations on their slips of paper and revise their role play to reflect the information on Activity Sheet 2 and 3. Guide students to consider the following:

• Copying photos, animations, greeting cards: These are all copyrighted works and should not be displayed on a personal site without obtaining permission.
• Copying photos and paragraphs of text for a school report: School reports are considered fair use, but the creators should be credited.
• Copying and rearranging paragraphs of text for a school report: Rearranging copied paragraphs is plagiarism, unless credit is given to each source. If the intent was to make it the student's work, then the ideas would have to be put in the student's own words.
• Copying passwords to enter systems without permission or paying: This is illegal.
• Copying and selling music files: In all cases these works are copyrighted and the creators may have not given permission to copy them.
• Copying and giving away software: The software creator is being denied a right to earn a living because the friend would otherwise have to purchase the word processor. This is illegal. Software typically comes with information about the purposes for which copies can be made.
• Copying movies for personal use: Movies are copyrighted works. By not paying to see the movie, you are denying the creators a right to earn a living.

Real World Safety Pledge

Print out enough copies of this pledge and discuss real world safety. It is important to discuss being safe in the real world in conjunction with internet safety. As with the internet safety pledge, you could have your advisors create their own safety pledges.

Internet Safety Pledge

Print out enough copies of this pledge and discuss internet safety with your advisors. You can even have the kids create their own internet safety pledge.